Fallout 4: A New Beginning, A New World
by Vicko7
Summary: This story follows a young woman who travels the Commonwealth in search of revenge against the people who took her son. Warning!: Contains Spoilers!
1. October 23rd, 2077

10:00AM October 23rd, 2077:

War never changes. It can destroy so much, but also reap a new beginning. A new start at society. A second chance. The only problem is that it takes so much away. It takes away our homes, the things we love, the things we strived to be, the things we wished we could save. This is the exact reason why war never changes; the destruction can never be bypassed.

All of us were so unprepared. The day the Vault-Tec representative came to our door, we had no idea that our lives would be changed so drastically, or furthermore, other lives would be lost. When I woke up that day, all I thought about was my wonderful family and the life we had made with each other. My husband Nate and my infant son, Shaun. I loved them both so much. So you can imagine how I felt when Codsworth called me in the living room to look at the devastating news or when the bomb alarms went off. I needed to save them. I needed to save the only thing that mattered anymore. My family. I swung open our orange front door and ran with Nate and Shaun to the Vault. Vault 111. Our new home. Or lack of home. I had no idea how much would change. Not just the world, but our family, our society.

¨CITIZENS OF SANCTUARY HILLS, FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE RESERVED A SPOT IN VAULT 111 COME TO THE GATE IMMEDIATELY!¨ Voices shouted through the loudspeakers.

As we sprinted, I found it shocking that everything looked normal. It was a beautiful, sunny day outside and the light glinted through the red leaves of the forest. Fluttering Halloween decorations flashed bright orange and black, and the houses stood stoic and strong, as if nothing could knock them down. Residents hurried past and struggled to carry hastily packed suitcases. Friends hugged each other in the streets and said prayers. Couples quarreled over what luggage to take.

Now we were running even faster; approaching a chain link gate with power armored soldiers and another vault representative that held a clipboard.

¨We're on the list!¨ I shouted, my voice going shrill with worry.

People were in a panic. Women screamed and children cried while reaching out for their parents' hands.

¨Adult male...Infant...Adult female...Alright let 'em through they're on the list! Now, hurry!¨ And with that, the guard shoved us through the gate.

Both Nate and I could hear all the citizens begging for mercy. They cried out for the guard to let them in. What was going to happen to them? The people who weren't accepted into the vault. Were they going to die? We hurried up the hill; along the path towards another man in security armor. The man shouted.

¨Cmon let's move it! Hurry, and get on the platform!¨

A number of people stood on a giant, gear-shaped platform with the number 111 painted on it. Nate, Shaun, and I reached it just in time. Just in time for the explosion.

BANG.

The entire world seemed to go silent, until you could hear a steadily growing rushing noise. The ground shook and the sky went a starburst of colors. Red, orange, yellow, white, and black. A giant, billowing mushroom cloud arose in the east and it spread across the earth with an alarming speed.

¨LOWER THEM! NOW!¨

Nate took my hand. ¨It's gonna be okay! I love you guys.¨ He said.

Right when the black cloud was just about to reach us, the platform lurched and the blast went right over our heads. Nate shielded Shaun with his body and the metal beneath us lurched again and again. Downwards. Just in time before the blast shook through Sanctuary Hills. My home. Our home. And all those people who weren't on the list? They were surely dead. The platform sunk even lower and I witnessed many frightened faces among us.

¨What's going on?¨ A woman cried. ¨What happened?¨ Another asked.

Some people looked as if they were in shock, while others openly sobbed; crouched on the floor. I don't blame them, and I don't think anyone should. They were so innocent.

We arrived into the Vault; a long cavern with, again, a large gear shaped door with the number 111 on it. A man in a long white coat and a clipboard came to greet our cowering selves.

¨Welcome to Vault 111. I know you all must be very frightened but I promise you everything will be alright.¨ He gave an affirming nod. ¨Now, before we go deeper inside the vault, you need to be decontaminated. Please relax, and follow me.¨

All of us walked cautiously behind the man; down a hallway and into a room with several, odd looking human sized chambers mounted on the walls. An assistant stepped in front of me and held up a blue jumpsuit with the 111 logo on it written in yellow.  
¨Please ma'am, put this on a sit inside one of our decontamination pods.¨

I looked at my husband. Nate gave a reassuring look and said: ¨Everything will be ok.¨ He squeezed my hand. These were the last words he ever said to me.

I slipped on the tight-fitting Vault 111 jumpsuit and took a seat in the pod. A countdown began inside and I looked at Nate and Shaun in the adjacent chamber.

¨FIVE.¨

I pressed my hand up to the fogging glass of the pod.

¨FOUR.¨

Nate looked at me with reassurement and smiled. My breath came in nervous puffs of white.  
¨THREE.¨

The air was turning frigid, and I shivered inside my thin jumpsuit.

¨TWO.¨

The glass turned completely opaque with ice forming on the sides.

¨ONE. OCCUPANT ENGAGED. ENTERING CRYOGENIC SLEEP.¨

I felt my mind drifting off into whiteness.

¨MANUAL OVERRIDE INITIATED. CRYOGENIC STASIS SUSPENDED.¨

Footsteps. Mumbled discussion. And it was cold. So, so cold. The glass on the pod was slowly defrosting so I could see a blurry view through to my husband...and two figures. One in a white hazmat suit and a bald man with a scar stretching across his left eye.

¨This is the one. Here.¨ A woman's voice spoke from inside the hazmat suit. She pointed to my husband's pod.

¨Open it.¨ This time the man spoke.

The woman in the suit hit a couple of buttons on the panel next to Nate's pod, and a hissing noise came from inside. The door of the chamber slowly opened and Nate, with his arms clutching Shaun, was heaving and shivering with cold. _What was going on? Is everything over?_

¨What's going on? Is it over? Are we okay?¨ Nate coughed and Shaun started crying. I pounded on the glass with my fist. No one seemed to notice.

The man spoke again. ¨Almost. Everything's going to be fine.¨

¨Shhh, shhh, come here...¨ The woman reached for Shaun.

Nate resisted her and held onto him. ¨No, wait. I've got him!¨

The woman tugged harder on Shaun, but Nate still wouldn't let go. I pounded my fist against the glass, even harder this time, looking fearfully at the situation.

¨Let the boy go. I'm only gonna tell you once!¨ The man with the scar pulled out a gun and aimed it at Nate's head.

No. God no, no, no. This could not be happening.

I pounded my fists furiously on the glass and cried out.

¨I'm not giving you Shaun!¨ Nate yelled. His final words.

BANG.

The shot rang out inside my head. Nate's body slumped inside the pod and the woman pulled the screaming Shaun free.

¨Goddammit! Get the kid outta here, and let's go...¨

The decontamination pod's door closed shut on Nate. My breathing was panicky by now and I watched in shock as the man approached my pod.

¨At least we still have the backup...¨ He said.

I released my fists in a fury against the glass once more. I needed to get out. I needed Nate. I needed Shaun.

¨CRYOGENIC SEQUENCE REINITIALIZED.¨

Once again, fog covered my vision and I drifted into the white coldness.


	2. Inside and Outside Vault 111

Drip. Drip. Drip. Water dropped off the ceiling and landed on my face. Drip. Drip. I slowly started to move my limbs. One at a time. And then I remembered.

BANG. My husband is dead. BANG. Shaun is gone. BANG. I'm trapped inside this vault.

¨CRYOGENIC PROCESS DISENGAGED. OPENING POD C7.¨

A metal lock on the side of the pod hissed and the door slowly swung open with a puff of white vapor. Shivering and shaking, I collapsed on the floor panting. I looked up and saw the pod right in front of me. Nate's pod.

¨Oh God, please. Open...open!¨ I smacked my fist on the control panel and his pod's door unlocked. Dead. Cold. Frozen in time by this damned ice. I gave a dry sob and held Nate's frigid hand. Something gleamed on his fingers; something gold. Our wedding ring. I slowly slid off the ring from his fingers and put it on next to my own ring.

¨I will find whoever did this...¨ I shut the pod and looked around. The others were still in the pods. I walked to each pod and peered through the glass. Everyone was still sleeping...or maybe they were dead. I hit several control panels next to all of the pods.

¨CRYOGENIC ARRAY: OFFLINE. PREMATURE TERMINATION RESULTING IN SYSTEM FAILURE. ISOLATED MANUAL AND REMOTE OVERRIDES DETECTED. CONTROLS DISABLED. OCCUPANT STATUS: DECEASED. CAUSE OF DEATH: ASPHYXIATION DUE TO LIFE SUPPORT FAILURE.¨

They were dead. All of them. I was the only one left. Oh God, what was I going to do. I took a ragged breath. Keep going I told myself. I stood up and faced the doorway. Find Shaun.

Eerie was what the vault looked like. The walls were no longer new like when we had first walked inside. They were turning brown with rust and the floors looked scuffed with dirt and dust. I didn't look like anyone had been here in a long time. I passed down the hallways and came to a room with a huge desk. This was probably the overseer's office. Sure enough, a skeleton with a white lab coat was lying on the floor. Dead. For a long time. What was going on? Where is everybody?

On the desk was a pistol, a 10mm, I found some ammo lying on the nearby shelves. Next to the gun was a terminal. Answers. I booted up the computer and brushed away the dust on the screen.

 **CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL**

 **OVERSEER EYES ONLY | VIOLATION VTP-01011**

 **Vault 111 is designed to test the long-term effects of suspended animation on unaware, human subjects. Your staff will be on short-term assignment to monitor basic cardiopulmonary and cognitive functions. Long-term monitoring will be handled remotely by Vault-Tec technicians.**

 **Under no circumstance is suspension to be disrupted. This includes the administration of live-saving measures. Your staff is also considered expendable. Insubordination or attempts to evacuate prematurely are capital violations. Unused cryogenic pods are the preferred method for cadaver disposal.**

Those bastards. They locked away innocent people just trying to escape the apocalypse and froze them up for their ¨experiments¨. I looked through the rest of the terminal and found some of the overseer's personal logs.

 _ **Preparations**_

 **The final staff orientation is complete, all but a few of the residents down in Sanctuary Hills have been enrolled, and several from Concord as well. Vault-Tec supervisors came up this week to do a technical review with me. This Vault is ready to open.**

 **I can only imagine what wonders our residents will get to witness. The notion of leaping forward in time - I almost wish I could join them and see the promise of our future realized.**

 _ **October 23**_

 **It's happened. We were lucky that most of the staff was nearby when the early warning came through. We had less notice than expected, but only Nordhagen was missing when we sealed the entrance.**

 **Resident Admittance went smoothly. Everyone made it, even the family that waited till the last minute. I was worried there would be more suspicion, but things happened so fast for these people. They must have been too overwhelmed to question the cryogenic pods.**

 _ **System Malfunction**_

 **Strange issue today with pod C3. Subject appeared to be having heart palpitations. Nothing life-threatening, but unusual. We realized almost too late that the pod was malfunctioning. The cryogenic array almost started thawing her out.**

 **We're not sure, but I suspect a hiccup in Vault-Tec's remote override systems may have sent an errant signal. We'll have to keep an eye out. I only hope their systems are reliable once we evacuate the staff.**

 _ **Supplies Running Low**_

 **There's been no All-Clear Signal yet, even though we're nearing the end of the 180 day mandatory Shelter Period. Supplies were never intended to last much more than that, and despite my best efforts, people are beginning to question what we're doing down here.**

 **If people think we can just leave when the 180 days are up, they're insane. The radioactive exposure would still be potent enough to fry everyone if the Vault seals are breached that early. The whole point of the All-Clear was to receive additional instructions from the main office.**

 **I don't know what to do. I can't open the Vault. I can't expect our supplies to last forever. I just have to keep everything under control until the All-Clear...**

 _ **Mutiny**_

 **A faction led by the security personnel have turned on me, demanding they be allowed to leave the vault. Idiots. I will not open the door to be irradiated to death out there.**

 **I'm consolidating the remaining supplies, putting the staff on lockdown. We're going to have to start prioritizing who deserves what little food we have left. I've been too damn generous with the rations.**

 **If people don't like it, well, that's fewer mouths to feed...**

Awful. It was awful. These people made me sick. First, they lied to innocent residents, then they killed them, following that, they denied their own crew to survive and left them to starve to death. I shut down the terminal and walked along the hall to the main entrance of the vault. SCRATCH. SCUTTLE.

I paused.

A minute passed.

I continued around the corridor, creeping cautiously now. When I turned the corner, I nearly screamed. A giant roach. A disgusting, giant, roach, feeding off of a skeleton. I whipped out my 10mm and shot the thing dead. Panting, I sprinted towards the door, wanting more than anything to get out of here. The door opened and I was in the cavern when I had first arrived in the vault. Another skeleton was on the floor with something dusty perched on his arm. A pip-boy. Essentially, the pip-boy looked like a small wrist held computer. I slipped it on and plugged it into the console that lay above the skeleton. A clear lid flipped open. Inside lay a big red button. Taking a deep breath, I pushed it. I could hear grinding metal as the giant gear rolled aside and the platform I was standing on rolled forward. Climbing through the hole, I spotted the elevator that all of us had rode down here. That most of us had ridden to ours deaths.

All except me.

I stepped on the elevator and it began to rise. As I neared the top, another door opened overhead. It let in a blinding light. I stood on the elevator, in the same place I was, right before the bombs fell. The sun was still blinding my eyes and my vision was foggy.

As I squinted, I realized one thing.

I was alone.

I was the Sole Survivor.


	3. The Return

The girl heard the woman emerge from the vault up on the hill. The girl crouched inside a hubflower bush; totally disguised. She was terrified. This woman could be the one who had killed the girl's parents. All she could do now was wait.

The woman was taking forever to get down the slope. But, finally, she emerged from the broken down gate and approached. The girl gazed in wonderment. This woman looked nothing like the raiders that had killed them. This woman wore a blue and yellow vault suit, and she was only armed with a small 10mm. The girl shifted to get a better look.

CRACK.

The woman perked up and stopped moving; trying to listen. The girl silently cursed herself. She had accidentally snapped a branch to get a look. The woman took a long hard glance at the bush that the girl was hiding in. She whipped out her pistol and slowly crept towards it.

I heard something. Something cracked in that bush. Someone...or some creature. I pulled out my 10mm, just in case. Slowly creeping towards the bush, I saw it rustle, and out popped a, maybe close to 12 year old girl wearing a heavy brown coat.

"Please, don't shoot! I'll give you everything I have! Just don't kill me!" The girl sounded desperate. I lowered my gun, holstered it inside my belt, and crouched down next to her.

"I'm not going to hurt you. It's alright." I said, with a reassuring tone. The girl looked surprised. "And I don't want anything from you." I said, again. "What's your name, sweetheart?" The girl looked cautiously into my eyes, but she looked less fearful.

"My name is Vallory. M-my parents were killed by raiders." She mumbled. "I thought you were one...I'm sorry, lady." She said, with an apologetic look.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She looked as if she had been rolling around in mud. Her face was smudged with dirt and her clothes were caked with dried muck. Vallory had bright brown eyes and short dark brown hair cut into a bob.

"That's alright kid.¨ I smiled at her. ¨My name's Nora. Here, follow me, let's get you cleaned up." And maybe you can help me, I thought, help me understand this...world.

Seriously though. Something was up. The world outside looked like it had been ripped apart and then crudely sewn back together. I mean, I was aware that nuclear bombs had hit, but it looked like this world had been hit by the bombs, and then left to rot for centuries. I could see a very ramshackle Sanctuary Hills perched below us. I wondered if my house was still standing.

Vallory gave me a nervous smile and stood up. We both set off together; down the slope and into my former home. As we took our first steps into the neighborhood, Vallory tugged on my sleeve.

"Hey lady, watch out, there's something over there."

I peered over to where she was pointing. A familiar sight. Codsworth. He was a little rusted and dinged up, and he didn't shine as much as he used to, but, he was still there. I ran over to greet him; Vallory following behind me.

"Oh my. It's...it's REALLY you!" Codsworth croaked, even still he had that same odd british accent.

"Codsworth! What happened...to the world?" I choked out. I was still quite amazed that despite everything else being totally wiped out, Codsworth was still functioning as normal.

"The world, mum? Well, besides our geraniums still being the envy of Sanctuary Hills, I'm afraid things have been dreadfully dull around here." Codsworth replied. "Things will be much more exciting with you and your sir back. Where is your better half, by the way?" Oh dear. This was going to be hard.

"They...they killed him." I whispered. Even though I had witnessed his murder, I still wanted to believe he was going to be alright.

"Mum...these things you're saying. These...terrible things...I...believe you need a distraction. Yes! A distraction to calm this dire mood." Codsworth choked up a bit before continuing. "It's been ages since we've had a proper family activity. Checkers. Or...perhaps charades. Shaun does so love that game. Is the lad with you?"

I hated to tell him this as well. So many things had changed...I guess Codsworth needed to know as much as anyone.

"Shaun's been kidnapped. But I'm going to find him. I'm going to get my baby back."

Codsworth sighed in a sad sort of way. "It's worse than I thought. Hmm, hmm. You're suffering from...hunger induced paranoia. Not eating properly in 200 years will do that to you, I'm afraid."

What? Two hundred years? Two centuries? Why would Vault Tec ever want to freeze someone for two whole centuries? Part of me thought it made sense though, I mean, why else would the world look so ramshackle?

"200 years? What? Are you-" I stammered.

"A bit over 210 actually, mum. Give or take a little for the Earth's rotation and some minor dings to the 'ole chronometer." Codsworth replied. "That means you're...two centuries late for dinner! Ha ha ha. Perhaps I can whip you up a snack? You must be famished."

"Codsworth...you're acting a little bit weird. What's wrong?" I asked.

Codsworth's voice broke a little. "I..I..Oh, mum, it's been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve!" Well, two hundred years is a lot. Even for a robot.

"Stay with me, pal. Focus."

"I'm afraid I don't know anything, mum. The bombs fell, and all of you left in such a hurry. I thought for certain you and your family were...dead." Codsworth wailed.

"It's alright Codsworth." I tried to reassure him.

"Thank you. Now, enough feeling sorry for myself. Who is this young mistress, over yonder, mum?" Codsworth said, as he regained himself.

"Oh! This is Vallory. I found her as I was coming out of the vault...She...she lost her parents...and I think it would be fitting of she stuck with us." I smiled at Vallory.

"You really mean it, lady?"

"Sure do kid!" I said. "Now, Codsworth, how about we search this neighborhood for any remaining supplies." I hearded Vallory behind me.

"Proud to serve, mum!" Codsworth drifted off into the neighborhood humming an old tune to himself.

"Wow, lady, you're two hundred years old? That's pretty wicked." Vallory gave me a winning smile. Man, this kid was starting to rub off on me. I responded by grinning back.

"Hey, kid, Why don't you go search the other houses for some new clothes. I need to check something out." I said. I needed to check out my home. It was the only thing that I had left from my old life.

"Sure thing lady!" Vallory skipped off into the nearest house and I climbed the steps up into my home.

It was very surprising at how little everything had changed inside of here. Most of our furniture was intact, except for a few decaying pieces. I walked down the hall, past the bathroom, past the laundry, past our bedroom, and finally into Shaun's. Inside Shaun's room, the mobile that Nate had made was still there, hanging above the crib, with a red rocket dangling on the rim.

"I'm coming, sweetheart." I whispered; a tear carving a line down my face.

I searched the rest of the house, coming up with a few bits of clothing and some old food in the cupboards. I also took one of Shaun's toy cars. As a reminder. I walked down the front steps again and spotted Vallory searching the house next door.

"Lookit lady! I found some food and clothes!" Vallory held up a small, ratty shirt and some too big pants. She tossed me a box of crackers, some meat in a sealed package, two boxes of Sugarbombs, and a package of Fancy Lad's Snack Cakes.

"Good job kiddo! Now, let's get you cleaned up."

We took turns filling buckets of water up from the river and pouring them in an abandoned bathtub that Val had found. I asked Codsworth with his flamer attachment, to boil the water to kill bacteria, and I left Vallory to take a bath and wash her clothes. A half an hour later, Val was squeaky clean and dressed in her rolled up pants and shirt. All of us were sitting around a fire, roasting what Val called radroaches, in other words, the disgusting giant roaches.

"So, Vallory, can you tell me what happened to your parents?" I asked, only gently prodding. Vallory took another bite of roasted radroach.

"Yeah." She said. "My parents and I lived on a farm. Some local raiders wanted our goods, so they attacked our camp. They threatened to kill me if they didn't hand over the food, so my parents handed over the goods." She swallowed and continued. "They-they went back on their word...and...they killed my parents anyways..." Val sniffed a bit.

Poor kid. She reminded me of myself, but at least I had a inkling that Shaun might be still alive. I had a good feeling about this kid; she was very much like myself, I decided. I supposed I could take her under my wing; she was no trouble at all. In fact, even a bit comforting.

"Oh, mum...sounds a bit like you, actually."

My thoughts exactly, Codsworth.


End file.
